fastenal question

Recommended Posts

so went to our local Fastenal on Monday to get some 6 inch tap con concrete screws 1/2 thick, only needed about 8 of them to fix a door frame, well sales guy said new policy must buy whole box will not break boxes open anymore new corporate policy this august, didn't need whole box so left store. I have been going to Fastenal since they moved to central wis 15 years ago. there is nothing else like that around here for fasteners. never asked price just got what I needed and paid at the end of month, seemed like there were always different prices anyway depending on who waited on you, so now everything goes on one salesman name and I paid once a month, we would buy everything we needed there fasteners tools cordless, sometimes several hundred dollars a month. so finally called sales guy today he said some stores are closing to the public now, said we Fastenal started out as an industrial supply store and that's the direction corporate wants to go now. anyway we are surrounded by a lot of Mennonites that have mover here from out east lots of businesses being started up not everybody can farm so went to the local Mennonite fastener store seemed to be stocked good and bought my tap cons, all 6 of them. I guess I cant blame them they probably really do well at those big factories compared to screwing around with us farmers.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Have a local Fastenal, and a Lawson sales guy. There prices keep going up n up. I have been getting the common grade 5 and 8 stuff at Tractor Supply. On 20 or 25lbs of mixed 3/8, 7/16, 1/2" bolts, 1-4" long, I calculated out that I saved almost 40% compared to my last Lawson invoice.

Link to post

Share on other sites

I bought a tread chaser from them a few months back to chase the treads on my head studs, I checked it out on one and it took too much off and the nut wobbles on the treads, I took it back and told the guy what happened, he said you used it we can't take it back.

So I said you sold me something that isn't right, sorry sir store policy.

I should have waited another day and returned it when another employee was working and just said I didn't need it after all.

Never again, I hope that their policies can stand the test of time.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Hate to say it, but some companies like Fastenall are designed to cater to the large corporate accounts and not the general public. We have a local plumbing hvac company that closed its doors to the public in a move to better serve their core customers of hvac and plumbing contractors. Did it with success and rebound in sales and growth in margin. More on this later.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Fastenal here has always sold by the box and has never had an employee that knew very much about hardware. I go there as a last resort. Most onesy, twosy bolt customers go to Ace hardware, tractor supply or Lowes around here.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Fastenal around here was catering to the big manufacturing. A few years ago factories started shopping McMaster-Carr and places like that online. That opened Fastenal to the one or two of item sales. They also tried catering to a farmer and stocking a bolt cabinet for them. Lately Fastenal started smooth talking the factories again and got their foot in the door again. I have not stopped in the store in a few months but it would not surprise me if our local does not go this way. I know the last time I was in there the young kid knew computers but nothing about bolts. If I need an odd bolt or something, I have found Ace hardware usually has what I need in stock and at a good price. Menards has a big selection of this kind of things too.

For me fastenal is the place i go for things i cant find anywhere else. Sometimes fine theead hardware can be hard to find. Stainless, oversize, hard cattiage bolts and just general odd ball stuff. Dont get much normal stuff there becauae they arent cheap but they have access to all kinds of stuff.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

McMaster Carr is the only place to go. I am surprised that they will sell to individuals, but they do, and their service is exceptional.

Fastenal lost my good will when they charged me almost $10 for a box of 1/4" set screws that I had been buying for @ $1/per box, and the one time that they said that I wasn't entitled to the corporate discount because I did not work in the mechanic shop.

The best place to buy bolts and nuts is TSC. Ace Hardware has basically priced themselves out of selling me anything.

I've bought a little here and there from fastenal, but they quote you certain price to get your business, then on a restock, it's a higher price. Places like that love huge corporations, where the person ordering the supplies, never sees the prices, and really doesn't care what the price is. Lawson salesmen do the same thing. I order myself online when I need stuff, so I see the prices, and decide at that point how many I need. My little Podunk business needs to keep that kind of waste in check to keep my prices down for my customers. Huge corporations just raise their prices, rather than address the internal waste/gouging. I really like McMaster-Carr. I can order from them at 5 o'clock, and still have it the next day.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Fastenal moved out of the Industrial park where nobody knew they existed into an empty store front in the old strip mall on Main Street in my town about 8-9 years ago. They have tried the Full Box business on me before, until they tried to charge me full price for a half empty box. The old Tru-Value hardware store used to have a fantastic hardware section, grade 2, 5 & 8, coarse and fine thread, stainless, aluminum, size #0 to 1", every style of head shown in the Machinist Handbook. Not the cheapest place on the common stuff. But then they remodeled, enlarged the store and increased the size of the paint dept at the expense of hardware. They compare with the big box stores now, cheap imported common hardware only. So I'm back to buying hardware at Farm & Fleet by the pound.

Son worked for a plant for a world-wide industrial gearbox mfg. company, Rainman knows who I'm talking about. Fastenal supplied all their hardware. They did an O-K job, they always had hardware on hand, not sure how economical it was. I've managed hardware management companies at 3 of my past companies. These companies sell their computerized systems and manpower in your plant stocking bins on shelves. At one company we made them supply things they had no business supplying, like forged weld flanges for piping systems. Same company at my last company did excellent, very capable people on site, in fact we hired two of them into our purchasing dept. At the machine tool company we had a different company, actually the original class C inventory management company. They hired one of our former employees to be our in plant rep. He knew everybody, assemblers, managers, engineers could trust him with special requests, and he would let me know afterward what transpired. In my opinion, the best supplier.

Every time I drive down Main Street in town and see Fastenal still open I'm surprised. I look for them to move back into a vacant building in the industrial park someday. There's several available.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

For me fastenal is the place i go for things i cant find anywhere else. Sometimes fine theead hardware can be hard to find. Stainless, oversize, hard cattiage bolts and just general odd ball stuff. Dont get much normal stuff there becauae they arent cheap but they have access to all kinds of stuff.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I've been to fastenal a few times, but they never seem to have what I need. They can order it... but so can I. At work we order from McMaster. I'm surprised that Fastenal has kept going but I'm sure they have their business model.

We have 1 family hardware store left that's been in business over 100 years. THAT's the store I go to for the hard to find stuff. They may not stock it any more, but there's a good chance it's laying in one of the miscellaneous shelves. Their prices are a touch high on most things (except hardware) but all of it is decent quality, better than what the box stores offer. I sure hope they've got someone in the family that'll keep it going. Also the only place other than a lock smith that I can get a key cut for my old vehicles that will actually work.

TSC is my next stop after them.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I understand your frustration. But how can you afford to keep the doors open selling 6 bolts at a time? We had an awesome local hardware store but when they quit no one will buy the business? Who can make a living selling 6 bolts start time.

just went into the local hardware store for fasteners, needed a couple machine screws, some star washers, and trinkets. left with my little bag and spent a couple dollars. I try to get what I can from them to keep them around, but I know there days are numbered.

Isn't progress a B!tch

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I understand your frustration. But how can you afford to keep the doors open selling 6 bolts at a time? We had an awesome local hardware store but when they quit no one will buy the business? Who can make a living selling 6 bolts start time.

There are times when I or others might only buy a couple dollars in bolts but if I'm going there for bolts, I'm also buying the other things there rather than drive another 20 minutes to a big box store.

I know for myself, a business offering a bag of two bolts for $2 says to me they are ripping me off, so I assume it applies to everything else as well. Its about the relationship.

I understand your frustration. But how can you afford to keep the doors open selling 6 bolts at a time? We had an awesome local hardware store but when they quit no one will buy the business? Who can make a living selling 6 bolts start time.

And it's marketing, Walmart doesn't make money on the low priced item on the end of the aisles, they make it on the other purchases. And if you go for bolts you grab a tap, and some more clothes pins, and a funnel.